SAN JOSE, Calif. - A quarterback with 10 games of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) starting experience, more size for its offensive and defensive lines, and support for the wide receiver corps comprised San Jose State University Football's National Letter-of-Intent signees at the start of the February 2020 signing period.
Nick Starkel (6-4, 214, Grad), a starting quarterback at Texas A&M University and more recently for the University of Arkansas in 2019; defensive linemen Soane Toia (6-1, 290, FR) from Grace Brethren High in Simi Valley, Calif., and Tre Smith (6-4, 225, FR) from Red Mountain High in Mesa, Ariz.; offensive lineman Keydrell Lewis (6-6, 320, FR) from Mallard Creek High in Charlotte, N.C.; and wide receiver Terence Loville (6-0, 185, FR) from Serra High in San Mateo, Calif., are joining the Spartans beginning with the 2020 season.
Starkel is enrolled at San Jose State for the spring semester and will compete for the starting quarterback job in spring practice. The high school seniors will join the program this summer.
"The biggest thing for us was filling out spots in our roster where we wanted to add players. With the early (December) signing period being what it is now, almost everybody signs early and it's really changed recruiting. When you are only signing a few as it is in this case, then you maintain relationships with coaches and find out who their next up-and-coming players are," said Brent Brennan, now in his fourth season as San Jose State University's football head coach.
"We feel great about the guys coming in. They all have a chance to have a good impact here. Anytime we can bring in some size and some length or some speed, we're excited about that."
The additions of Lewis on offense and Toia on defense continued in the Spartans' quest to add size to the line on both sides of the ball. Lewis finished his first year of organized football in 2019. Toia, the 2019 Camino League "Defensive Player of the Year," accounted for 35.5 tackles for loss in his junior and senior seasons.
Like Toia, Smith was a dynamic force defensively for his team last season. The second-team all-state selection was credited with 22.0 tackles for loss and 18.5 quarterback sacks as a senior.
Loville averaged over 20.0 yards per catch and was a sprinter on the track and field at Serra High. A two-time San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro selection, Loville caught 79 passes for a Serra High career record 1,650 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons.
Starkel played in 19 games and started 10 times at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) throwing for 3,114 yards and 22 touchdowns in his first three seasons. In the 2017 Belk Bowl for Texas A&M, he completed 42-of-63 passes for 499 yards and four touchdowns against Wake Forest. At Arkansas, Starkel was the first quarterback in nine years to throw for 300 or more yards and three touchdowns in consecutive games.
The recent additions to San Jose State's roster increase the number of National Letter-of-Intent signees to 21, six on offense and 15 on defense. There are five defensive linemen, three linebackers, seven defensive backs, two 300-pound-plus offensive linemen, one running back, one tight end, one wide receiver and one quarterback.
Defensive linemen Noah Wright (6-5, 315, JR) from College of the Sequoias and Jay Kakiva (6-5, 325, JR) from Fresno City College and linebacker Dion Leonard (6-3, 215, JR) from Foothill College received all-state honors like Smith.
When the Spartans begin spring practice on March 2, they will have 15 returning starters (six, offense, eight defense; and one kicker) and 38 more letterwinners from last year's team that posted a 5-7 win-loss record, their best win total since 2015. The annual Spring Game is set for Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m.
February 2020 signees
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown/Last School |
| Nick Starkel | QB | 6-4 | 214 | Grad. | Argyle, Texas/University of Arkansas |
| Keydrell Lewis | OL | 6-6 | 320 | Fr. | Atlanta, Ga./Mallard Creed HS (NC) |
| Tre Smith | DL | 6-4 | 225 | Fr. | Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain HS |
| Soane Toia | DL | 6-1 | 290 | Fr. | Nuku'alofa, Tonga/Grace Brethren HS (CA) |
| Terence Loville | WR | 6-0 | 185 | Fr. | San Mateo, Calif./Serra HS |
Nick Starkel
QB | 6-4 | 214 | Grad | Argyle, Texas/University of Arkansas
Highlights
After playing his first three seasons of major college football at Texas A&M University and the University of Arkansas, Nick enrolled at San Jose State University for the 2020 spring semester and is competing for the starting quarterback job. He has 19 games of playing experience and 10 starts throwing for 3,114 yards and 22 touchdowns at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. Starkel began his college career at Texas A&M University in 2016 and redshirted the season. For the 2017 and 2018 seasons, he played in 11 games and made five starts. He set freshman single-game school records for pass attempts, pass completions, and passing yards. His freshman season concluded at the 2017 Belk Bowl where he completed 42-of-63 passes for 499 yards and four touchdowns against Wake Forest. He finished the season completing 123-of-205 passes for 1,793 yards and 14 TDs. The 2019 Texas A&M graduate transferred to the University of Arkansas where he played in eight games and started five times. Last season, he was the Hogs' first quarterback in nine years to throw for 300 or more yards and three or more touchdowns in back-to-back games. Starkel led Arkansas to a 55-34 victory over Colorado State throwing for 305 yards and three scores. The next week against San Jose State, he passed for the 356 yards and three TDs in a 31-24 loss to the Spartans. For the season, he completed 96-of-179 attempts for 1,152 yards and seven touchdowns. The graduate of Liberty Christian High in Argyle, Texas (Coach Barton Hundley) threw for 4,745 yards and 48 touchdowns in three seasons. Much of it occurred his senior season when he passed for 3,091 yards and 29 TDs and was named an honorable mention TAPPS Division I All-District selection. He began his high school career at Southlake (Texas) Carroll High. Starkel plans to major in justice studies at San Jose State. He majored in university studies with a concentration in business. Nick concluded his high school career playing for USA Football's National Team in 2016. Starkel first began playing football as a third grader while living in New Orleans. His first positions on the field were as an offensive guard and a defensive end before getting the opportunity to play quarterback.
Keydrell Lewis
OL | 6-6 | 320 | FR | Atlanta, Ga./Mallard Creek HS (NC)
Highlights
A relative newcomer to the sport of football, Keydrell (pronounced key-drell) is a massive offensive line candidate heading to San Jose State this summer. Lewis played just one season of high school football – his senior season at Mallard Creek High in Charlotte, N.C. (Coach Michael Palmieri) where he was an offensive guard and an offensive tackle. He was encouraged to tryout for the football team after he was seen playing basketball in a boys gym class. The Mavericks won the 2019 I-Meck-4A league championship and was one of the top offensive teams in the state. Mallard Creek was sixth in passing yardage and 15th in touchdowns scored among 4A schools in North Carolina last season. Rated the #92 top high school player by 247Sports.com, he concluded his high school career playing in the 2019 Queen City Senior Bowl in Charlotte. Keydrell is interested in being a mathematics major and possibly pursuing a career as an accountant. He attended Dutchtown High in Hampton, Ga., prior to transferring to Mallard Creek High. The tallest member of family, he was 6-feet tall when he was in the eighth grade. Lewis enjoys reading mystery books, because he likes problem solving. He is a native of Atlanta, Ga.
Tre Smith
DL | 6-4 | 225 | FR | Mesa, Ariz./Red Mountain HS
Highlights
A pass rush specialist, Tre is a defensive end hopeful headed to San Jose State this summer. Smith blossomed into a second-team all-state player for Red Mountain High in Mesa, Ariz. (Coach Mike Peterson) in 2019. He had a breakthrough year as a senior earning credit for 89 tackles, 22.0 tackles for loss, 18.5 quarterback sacks and a forced fumble. As a junior, he was in on 27 tackles and was credited with 2.0 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. His honors as a senior also included being the school's nominee for the Ed Doherty Award as the best high school football player in Arizona, and his region's "Defensive Player of the Year." He also was named by his teammates as the team's "Most Inspirational Player." The two-sport athlete was a shot put and discus thrower for the track and field team. He qualified for the 2019 Association of Interscholastic Athletics state championship meet in the shot put and the discus. Smith finished 18th in the discus and was one of 25 finalists in the shot put. Tre is undecided on an academic major. Smith was named to the 2019 Sport 360AZ all-academic team as an honorable mention honoree. He enjoys creating his own musical beats using Pro Tools software. His favorite recording artists are Kanye West and lil Vz. Tre is a native of Mesa, Ariz.
Soane Toia
DL | 6-1 | 290 | FR | Nuku'alofa, Tonga/Grace Brethren HS (CA)
Highlights
The Camino League "Defensive Player of the Year," Soane (pronounced So-Ah-knee) is a defensive line candidate joining the Spartans this summer. Toia (pronounced Toe-ee-ah) played three seasons of football at Grace Brethren High in Simi Valley, Calif. (Coach John Henderson). In his three seasons with the Lancers, Toia accumulated 36.0 tackles for loss, 35.5 of them coming in 27 games during his junior and senior seasons. As a senior, the All-Ventura County and All-C.I.F. Southern Section Division 3 honoree was in on 18.0 tackles for loss and 9.5 quarterback sacks and 43 total tackles. He also saw action as a fullback and rushed for five touchdowns in 2019. As a junior, Soane was credited with 17.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 quarterback sacks and 85 total tackles and was named a California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F.) Division 4 award winner and a first-team all-league player. The two-sport letterwinner also was a shot put specialist on the track and field team. Soane is interested in majoring in business administration. His favorite movies are "Forever Strong" and "Remember the Titans." His oldest brother Abitoni Toia is in his second year as a rugby player in New Zealand. Soane played rugby since he was 10-years old. Older brother Siaki Ika was a freshman defensive lineman for 2019 College Football Playoff national champion LSU. One of Soane's two younger brothers, Jay Toia, was his teammate at Grace Brethren High. His favorite football player is Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. Since arriving in the United States in 2016, he has been a youth group counselor for three years at the Knollwood Methodist Church in Granada Hills, Calif. Soane is a native of Nuku'alofa, Tonga.
Terence Loville
WR | 6-0 | 185 | FR | San Mateo, Calif./Serra HS
A two-time San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro and West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) honoree, Terence is a wide receiver prospect joining the Spartans this summer. Loville lettered in football (Coach Patrick Walsh) and track and field at Serra High in San Mateo, Calif. He finished his career as the Padres' career receiving yardage leader with 1,650 yards and 17 touchdowns. As a senior, he had 48 receptions for 1,061 yards and 10 touchdowns. The first-team WCAL honoree also was a named to the Mercury News/East Bay Times first-team Bay Area Preps HQ squad and a second-team San Francisco Chronicle All-Metro choice. In his junior season, he caught 31 passes for 589 yards and seven touchdowns earning second-team All-WCAL and honorable mention All-Metro recognition. The two-sport athlete was a sprinter and long jumper on the track and field team. He ran on Serra High's 2018 4x400 relay team that finished eighth at the California Interscholastic Federation (C.I.F.) state championship meet. Terence's family members include his uncles Derek Loville, a running back who played on Super Bowl-winning teams in San Francisco (Super Bowl XXIX) and Denver (Super Bowls XXXII and XXXIII); Ed Riley, a two-time qualifier for the U.S. Olympic Team trials in the 110-meter high hurdles and the current track and field coach at San Mateo (Calif.) High; and Robert Harris, who played the 1996 through 1998 basketball seasons for the University at Buffalo. Loville is interested in majoring either in business administration or psychology. He enjoys listening to hip hop music. Yatta, Zay Bang, and Lil Bean are three of his favorite performers. Since 2017, he has been a member of the Young men's Service League's San Mateo chapter. Terence is a native of Berkeley, Calif.
December 2020 signees (Early signing period press release)
| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Class | Hometown/Last School |
| Jalen Apalit-Williams | S | 6-2 | 185 | Fr. | Martinez, Calif./Las Lomas HS |
| Jalen Bainer | CB | 5-11 | 180 | Fr. | San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS |
| Lamar Barrett | OL | 6-4 | 325 | Jr. | Bartow, Fla./Independence JC (KS) |
| Shamar Garrett | RB | 5-9 | 179 | Fr. | Livermore, Calif./De La Salle HS |
| Mikale Greer | CB | 6-2 | 185 | Fr. | Compton, Calif./Lawndale HS |
| Chance Johnson | S | 6-0 | 185 | Fr. | Spring Valley, Calif./Steele Canyon HS |
| Jay Kakiva | DL | 6-5 | 325 | Jr. | Las Vegas, Nev./Fresno CC |
| Elijah Lawson | LB | 6-2 | 205 | Fr. | Hayward, Calif./Stellar Prep HS |
| Dion Leonard | LB | 6-3 | 215 | Jr. | Milpitas, Calif./Foothill College |
| Grady Manley | DL | 6-4 | 265 | Fr. | Lincoln, Calif./Lincoln HS |
| Sam Olson | TE | 6-4 | 225 | Fr. | Visalia, Calif./Redwood HS |
| Kenyon Reed | CB | 6-0 | 170 | Fr. | Concord, Calif./Kansas State University |
| Zavion Reese | CB | 6-0 | 175 | Fr. | San Marcos, Calif./San Marcos HS |
| Malik Welch | CB | 6-1 | 195 | Jr. | Torrance, Calif./Long Beach CC |
| Elijah Wood | LB | 6-3 | 205 | Fr. | Elk Grove, Calif./St/ Mary's HS |
| Noah Wright | DL | 6-5 | 315 | Jr. | Lemoore, Calif./College of the Sequoias |